Mikhail Gorbachev death rumours spread on Twitter

The death of the last Soviet Union head of state Mikhail Gorbachev was incorrectly reported yesterday after a Twitter rumour gathered pace in the UK.

Mikhail Gorbachev (Picture: AP)

A post about the 81-year-old statesman was retweeted and commented on by several UK-based journalists such as ITN political correspondent Lucy Manning and Times columnist David Aaronovitch.

The truth was further clouded by an apparent confirmation from the Russian prime minister.

But echoing Mark Twain, Mr Gorbachev, the architect of glasnost – or openness -, said: ‘Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.

‘It’s interesting what people are writing. Tell them that I keep living – and keep working.’

Aides meanwhile said the former Kremlin leader was ‘fine’ and in ‘great health’.

Ms Manning and Mr Aaronovitch among others apologised as suspicion for starting the rumour fell on Italian hoaxer Tommaso De Benedetti, who has been linked to other celebrity death rumours promulgated on Twitter.